Mumbai Ticketless Travel Crackdown: 233 Passengers Fined At Diva Station During Massive Checking Drive; ₹1.04 Lakh Penalty Collected

· Free Press Journal

Mumbai: Mumbai’s suburban railway authorities intensified their crackdown on ticketless travel, with a fortress ticket-checking drive conducted at Diva station on Monday, August 10. During the special drive, a total of 233 passengers were found travelling without valid tickets and were penalised a combined amount of Rs 1,04,830.

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Railway authorities have urged passengers to carry valid tickets while travelling and appealed to commuters to use authorised digital platforms to avoid queues at ticket counters. Passengers have also been advised to use the RailOne app to purchase tickets and save time.

The action at Diva comes amid growing concerns over ticketless travel as well as the increasing use of technology to create fake railway tickets. Railway officials have flagged a rise in forged tickets, AI-generated or manipulated ticket screenshots and fraudulent mobile applications that are making ticket verification increasingly challenging for frontline staff.

Railways Seek More Checking Staff

Against this backdrop, Central Railway and Western Railway have sought a substantial increase in the strength of ticket-checking personnel across Mumbai’s suburban network. The proposal, reportedly submitted to the Railway Board, seeks nearly double the existing manpower to cope with the growing passenger load and the rising challenge of digitally manipulated and counterfeit tickets.

Mumbai Railways Seek Double Ticket Checking Staff Strength Amid Rise In AI-Generated Fake Tickets

Central Railway currently has around 1,400 ticket-checking staff, while Western Railway has nearly 1,100. The two suburban networks together handle more than 65 lakh passengers every day, with around 35–38 lakh commuters travelling on Central Railway and 28–30 lakh on Western Railway.

According to the Railway Board’s stated benchmark of one ticket checker for every 1,000 passengers, Central Railway has sought an increase in its ticket-checking strength to around 2,800 personnel. Western Railway, meanwhile, has proposed increasing its existing strength to approximately 2,300–2,400 staff.

Fake Tickets Pose New Challenge

Railway officials said the additional manpower is needed not only to conduct more frequent checks but also to detect sophisticated forms of ticket fraud. With limited staff, it is currently difficult to maintain regular checks across stations, suburban trains, AC locals, first-class coaches and reserved compartments while simultaneously identifying digitally manipulated tickets.

If the Railway Board approves the proposal, additional ticket-checking squads could be deployed during peak hours, festivals and special drives. Dedicated teams could also focus on AC locals, first-class coaches and reserved compartments, while strengthening efforts to identify forged and digitally altered tickets.

Move Aims To Strengthen Enforcement

Officials said increasing the number of ticket-checking personnel would also reduce the workload on existing staff, who are frequently deployed for enforcement drives and other special duties. The move is expected to strengthen revenue protection, improve enforcement and help curb ticketless travel as well as the growing misuse of fake railway tickets and unauthorised ticketing applications across Mumbai’s suburban network.

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